In 1913 Kazimir Malevich
was asked to produce a series of costumes and set designs for
the "first Futurist opera," entitled Victory over the Sun.
The music was by Mikhail Matiushin, and the main text was written
by the poet Alexei Kruchenykh. There was also a prologue written
primarily by Velimir Khlebnikov. The opera was performed in
1913 on a double bill with Mayakovsky's play Vladimir
Mayakovsky. A Tragedy. For his costumes, Malevich provided
radical, anti-realist designs that combined volumetrically-shaped
body coverings and shocking color schemes. For a video clip
of a modern reconstruction of Victory over the Sun, click
here. You will need the QuickTime
Movie player.

Below are several of Malevich's
costume designs for the 1913 production of Victory over the
Sun.